Here's the thing, I think with twisting the rod pieces-- there is twisting and then there is twisting.

If you jam the pieces together tightly, then twist into postition, I do think you risk weakening the graphite at the overlap section. On the other hand, if you seat the pieces with very light pressure, stopping at the least resistence, then twist into position with slight forward (insertion) pressure, you get a tight seat with little direct trauma to the overlap area. If you were to align the sections perfectly upon insertion, you could do a direct linear seating, but you would need to stop at the right point, otherwise your ferrule areas would overlap improperly and the junction would be constantly stressed during execution of casts and playing fish.

The use of a slight twist to align, with minimal insertion pressure, allows one to "feel" the tightness of the seating of the two sections.

It is a simple thing to wipe the ferules gently to clear any abrasives that may get on the junction areas.

JDaddy, do you have a link, or could you post the entire waxing procedure recommended by St. Croix?

Posted on: 2011/2/10 6:58

_________________Some people will never learn anything, for this reason, because they understand everything too soon.

JackM wrote:Here's the thing, I think with twisting the rod pieces-- there is twisting and then there is twisting.

If you jam the pieces together tightly, then twist into postition, I do think you risk weakening the graphite at the overlap section. On the other hand, if you seat the pieces with very light pressure, stopping at the least resistence, then twist into position with slight forward (insertion) pressure, you get a tight seat with little direct trauma to the overlap area. If you were to align the sections perfectly upon insertion, you could do a direct linear seating, but you would need to stop at the right point, otherwise your ferrule areas would overlap improperly and the junction would be constantly stressed during execution of casts and playing fish.

The use of a slight twist to align, with minimal insertion pressure, allows one to "feel" the tightness of the seating of the two sections.

It is a simple thing to wipe the ferules gently to clear any abrasives that may get on the junction areas.

JDaddy, do you have a link, or could you post the entire waxing procedure recommended by St. Croix?

Wow, to me waxing rod ferrules is a no-brainer for me and is recommended by many rod mfg:

Should I use wax on my ferrules?There is no right or wrong answer to this question. Many experienced fly fishers insist on this practice. Also, many experienced fly fishers insist against this practice. If the wax is applied and then cleaned after every other use on a consistent basis then we believe this can extend the life of the ferrule. Otherwise, the wax simply attracts dust and grime and can actually shorten the life of the ferrule.

Thats essentially what I've been told for graphite ferrules in general, and I am in no way to be counted on to keep up the needed care on something like that. For boo, I was told by the maker NOT to use anything on those ferrules, in fact, I should clean them.

I do clean both my boo and graphite ferrules occasionally with a q-tip and some rubbing alcohol.

For guys that take thier rod apart and throw it in the back of a pick-up without putting it into a tube or case, well maybe they should not wax their ferrules (but if you do that, chances are they will break or damage their rod before the ferrules wear out anyway). If you are one that takes your rod from the case or tube and assembles it, and when done fishing, takes it apart and puts it back in the case, waxing works fine.

I've been using wax on my ferrules since I bought my first Sage rod about 25years ago as per Sages recommendation. I still have that rod (well my nephew does) and I have a bunch other made my various rod makers that are from less than a year old to over 20 years old. I have never had a problem with worn ferrules on any of my rods and I never have a problem with ferrules either sticking together or coming loose.

IMO, more rods are broken or damaged by guys trying to get stuck ferrules apart or ferrules coming lose and breaking the rod when fighting a fish or pulling on a snag.

How many guys out there have had their ferrules wear out because of waxing and grit? How many guys out there have had problems with stuck ferrules or loose ferrules?

I've got a rod that's gone to the beach a few times, there's some wicked grooves cut into the expoxy under the ferrule from sand getting stuck ni there when puttig it on or off.

I've got another rod that hte tip when flying off mid cast because I never waxed it. It didn't break, but its got a click in it when I cast that probably marks it as a matter of time.

You're damned if you do, damned if you don't. I wax my ferrules though because the sight of 4' of rod tip shooting off down the line wasn't something I care to see again. Wax helsp me break the pieces apart in the cold weather when its starting to freeze up, and if I remember to just lightly rub my fingers over the male end, any major grit will get brushed off.

Well, I've never waxed my ferrules. Never had a ferrule on a graphite rod wear out or get stuck.

The boo is a bit of a different story. Got it stuck twice, and one of those times the female portion slid off the rod before separating from the male portion. The maker has since put a pin in it for me and I haven't had a problem since. I was told explicitly to never wax metal ferrules and to clean them often.

pcray1231 wrote:Well, I've never waxed my ferrules. Never had a ferrule on a graphite rod wear out or get stuck.

The boo is a bit of a different story. Got it stuck twice, and one of those times the female portion slid off the rod before separating from the male portion. The maker has since put a pin in it for me and I haven't had a problem since. I was told explicitly to never wax metal ferrules and to clean them often.

Yeah, to be clear NEVER wax metal ferrules like the ones found on boo rods. Wax works on graphite or fiberglass rods w/o metal ferrules.

This is a good topic. What I'm getting from a combination of this thread and googling.:

Metal ferrules such as on bamboo: Never wax. Be vigilant about cleaning, these are tight fitting ferrules and have to be perfect to work correctly, so extra care is required. dry q-tip is fine. If especially dirty, use some rubbing alcohol but be careful not to get it on the varnish of the bamboo itself. I did find one reference to using not wax, but lubricants, such as silicon grease or graphite powder, but using these means being even more vigilant about cleaning. Most stuck ferrules are the result of twisting when seating the ferrule, or else excess dirt, and lubricants in general are likely to increase this problem!

Tip over butt: You'll hear people say each way. Generally, its not needed. However, proper use of waxes/lubricants will extend the life of the ferrule. But improper use will shorten the life of the ferrule.

If you don't use wax or lubricants, you still need to clean the ferrules periodically, male portion with a soft cloth and female portion with a q-tip. Rubbing alcohol is ok.

If you do wax, use something such as paraffin, candle, or beeswax. You must clean all of the wax off after every few uses and reapply. Otherwise it attracts dirt which will shorten the life of the ferrule. Other lubricants, like silicon grease, are preferable to wax but the same applies. Body/nose oil, and petroulem jelly (Vaseline) are used commonly but its a mistake, the oils especially attract dirt, and in some cases already contain it.

Haven't found anything regarding non-metal spigot ferrules, but it seems like the same should apply as tip over butt.